System and method for collecting clinical data associated with a medical apparatus including an implantable device

Abstract

A system and method for collecting operation data associated with a medical apparatus including an internal device implanted in a subject and an external device that is magnetically-coupled to and drives the internal device. The medical apparatus may be monitored to obtain raw data associated with the operation of the medical apparatus and one or more calculations may be performed on the raw data, wherein the raw data and/or calculated values may be associated with voiding frequency and voiding volume of the subject. A report may be generated from the raw data and/or calculated values. In addition, one or more signals may be sent to the external device and/or a docking station, or communicated by other means, to indicate to the subject that the operation of the medical apparatus should be altered.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A medical apparatus comprising:
 an internal device configured to be implanted within a subject, the internal device including a driven magnet; and 
 an external device including a drive magnet, a processor, and a memory, the drive magnet of the external device configured to be magnetically coupled to the driven magnet of the internal device, wherein the memory is coupled to the processor and wherein the processor is configured to:
 determine magnetic coupling of the drive magnet and the driven magnet and that the drive magnet of the external device is activated to magnetically rotate the driven magnet of the internal device, and 
 collect data while the magnetic coupling occurs, wherein the collection of the data is dependent on only the magnetic coupling of the drive magnet with the driven magnet of the medical apparatus. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The medical apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further configured to perform one or more calculations utilizing the collected data. 
     
     
       3. The medical apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the drive magnet is activated based on a button on the external device being pressed. 
     
     
       4. The medical apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the external device is configured to receive one or more signals indicating that a voiding behavior of the subject is to be altered based on a comparison of the data with one or more threshold values. 
     
     
       5. The medical apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the data includes one or more of (1) a number of times of the magnetic coupling of the driven magnet and the drive magnet, or (2) a length of time of the magnetic coupling. 
     
     
       6. The medical apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the data to a computing device over a computer network, wherein the computing device includes a computing processor configured to perform one or more calculations utilizing the data to produce calculated values. 
     
     
       7. The medical apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the computing processor is further configured to generate one or more reports based on at least one of the data and the calculated values. 
     
     
       8. The medical apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the computing processor is further configured to generate one or more alerts indicating that the one or more reports are available for viewing by a medical professional, wherein the one or more alerts are transmitted to a mobile application executing on a mobile device used by the medical professional. 
     
     
       9. The medical apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the data to a docking station over a computer network, wherein the docking station includes a docking station processor configured to perform one or more calculations the utilizing the data. 
     
     
       10. A computing device, comprising:
 a processor of the computing device; and 
 a memory of the computing device coupled to the processor, the processor configured to: 
 receive, over a computer network, data from an external device of a medical apparatus, the external device having a drive magnet magnetically coupled to a driven magnet of an internal device of the medical apparatus, 
 wherein the internal device is configured to be implanted within a subject, 
 wherein the data is collected while magnetic coupling of the drive magnet with the driven magnet and the collection of the data is dependent on only the magnetic coupling, and 
 perform one or more calculations utilizing the data to produce calculated values. 
 
     
     
       11. The computing device of  claim 10  wherein the drive magnet of the external device is activated based on an activation of a button on the external device to rotate the driven magnet of the internal device. 
     
     
       12. The computing device of  claim 11  wherein the processor is configured to transmit, over the computer network and to the external device, one or more signals indicating that a voiding behavior of the subject is to be altered based on a comparison of the data with one or more threshold values. 
     
     
       13. The computing device of  claim 12  wherein the data includes one or more of (1) a number of times of the magnetic coupling of the driven magnet and the drive magnet, or (2) a length of time of the magnetic coupling. 
     
     
       14. The computing device of  claim 10  wherein the processor is further configured to generate one or more reports based on at least one of the data and the calculated values. 
     
     
       15. The computing device of  claim 10  wherein the processor is further configured to transmit one or more signals over the computer network to the external device, where the one or more signals indicate that an operation of the medical apparatus is to be altered. 
     
     
       16. The computing device of  claim 10  wherein the processor is further configured to transmit one or more signals over the computer network to a docking station of the external device based on a comparison of the data to one or more threshold values, where the one or more signals indicate that an operation of the medical apparatus is to be altered. 
     
     
       17. A method, comprising:
 determining, by a processor of an external device of a medical apparatus, that a drive magnet of the external device is activated, wherein the drive magnet is magnetically coupled to a driven magnet of an internal device of the medical apparatus, wherein the internal device is configured to be implanted within a subject; 
 in response to determining that the drive magnet is activated, collecting, by a processor of the external device, data associated with an operation of the medical apparatus, wherein the collection of the data is dependent on only a magnetic coupling of the drive magnet with the driven magnet; and 
 storing, within a memory of the external device, the data; and 
 transmitting, over a computer network, the data from the external device to a computing device. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the computing device performs one or more calculations utilizing the data to produce one or more calculated values. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 17  further comprising receiving, at the external device from the computing device, one or more signals indicating that a voiding behavior of the subject is to be altered based on a comparison of the data with one or more threshold values. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19  wherein the data includes one or more of (1) a number of times of the magnetic coupling of the driven magnet and the drive magnet, or (2) a length of time of the magnetic coupling.